


Forewarned is Forearmed

by zinke



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M, Ficlet, Humor, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-09
Updated: 2011-08-09
Packaged: 2017-10-22 10:04:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/236906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zinke/pseuds/zinke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>’There’s a <i>right</i> way to punch a cold-blooded killer-for-hire in the face?’</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forewarned is Forearmed

**Author's Note:**

> I started out writing this in response to castle100’s most recent prompt: ‘fist’. And then it got longer.
> 
> Thanks to gabolange for the read-through.

“You okay?” Beckett asks, looking up from the file spread across her desk to eye Castle with concern.

Castle flexes his bandaged hand and winces. “I didn’t think it was supposed to hurt this much.”

“It doesn’t – if you do it right.”

“There’s a _right_ way to punch a cold-blooded killer-for-hire in the face?”

Beckett gives him a measuring look. “C’mon.” Standing, she turns to look down on him with a smile. “I’ll show you.”

Castle eyes her warily as he rises to his feet. “I already know you can kick my ass; there’s no need to demonstrate.”

“I’m not going to hit you, you big baby.” Beckett tempers the retort with a smile and takes his uninjured hand in hers. “Now pay attention. The first thing you want to do is curl your fingers against your palm and rest your thumb here.” Her fingers tangle momentarily with his as she guides them into position. “Now,” she says as she moves to stand close behind him, “draw your arm back, keeping it perpendicular to the line of your body.”

Castle does his best to ignore the feel of Beckett’s body pressed against his back and does as she says.

“Wait.” He startles slightly when he feels her free hand come to rest on his waist. “Turn your body and move with your arm; the thrust needs to come from here,” Beckett explains, giving his hip a squeeze. “Not here.” she finishes, brushing the pad of her thumb over the back of his hand.

Castle swallows. “Right.”

Seemingly oblivious to the effect her little lesson is having on him, Beckett releases her grip and comes around to face him head-on. “Now, when you let go, you want to hit me—”

“What?!?” he splutters, dropping his hand.

“Castle—”

“I am _not_ going to punch you!”

“As if I would let you. Now come here,” she says, grabbing Castle’s arm and raising it to its earlier position. Stepping in close, she squares her jaw against the flat of his fingers as her hands resume their positions on his hand and waist. “You want to make sure to hit with the flattest part of your fist, right below your knuckles. When you lead with the knuckles you can cause more damage, but you’re going to hurt yourself just as badly. Got it?”

When he doesn’t answer, Beckett looks up to find Castle watching her intently. She stares back, suddenly all too aware of just how close they are standing. A beat later, Castle clears his throat and steps away, the backs of his fingers brushing along the curve of her cheek as his hand falls to his side.

“Got it.”

“Good.” Beckett glances self-consciously around the precinct’s bullpen, blushing slightly when she catches sight of Ryan and Esposito watching them from the break room window. Squaring her shoulders, Beckett resumes her seat at her desk. “Now how about you go show Mata and Hari over there what you’ve learned and let me get back to work?”

Castle grins. “Sure thing, Mick,” he says and trots off, humming ‘Eye of the Tiger’ under his breath as he goes.

 

*fin.*


End file.
